Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State says he will appeal Monday’s
ruling of the state election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja which
nullified his election, and has consequently instructed his lawyers to
file the necessary papers.
This is coming as
the state election tribunal nullified his election and order for a fresh
election within 90 days following a suit by Advanced Nigeria Democratic
Party (ANDP) candidate, Mr King George challenging his exclusion from
November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state.
Governor
Diri, who spoke shortly after the tribunal ruled that the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) wrongly excluded the Advanced
Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) governorship candidate from the November
16, 2019 election.
The acting
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Diri, Daniel Alabrah in a statement
quoted the governor as saying that he has implicit confidence in the
judiciary that he would triumph in the end.
He said: “We trust in the judiciary and we are appealing the judgement. With God on our side, we will get justice.
“This
is a court of first instance and I have instructed our lawyers to file
an appeal. We have a right of appeal even up to the Supreme Court.
“I
urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and my supporters
not to panic and to continue to remain calm and law-abiding.” He said.